Improvement in refrigerators



UNTTED STATESl PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES c. CLARK, or soUTH BEND, INDIANA.

IMPRovEMi-:N'r iN REFR|GERAToRs-` Specification forming part of LettersPatent No. 160,050, dated February 23, 1875; application filed December14, 1874.

To all lwhom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES G. CLARK, of SouthBend, in the county of St. Joseph and State of Indiana, have invented anImprovement in Ice-Boxes or Refrigerators, of which the following is aspecification:

My invention relatesto the class of refrigerators where the ice-box isplaced at or near the top of the refrigerator, and where it is thedesign to obtain a circulation of the air confined to the interior ofthe refrigerator without communication with the exterior air. Myinvention consists in a particular construction and arrangement of suchrefrigerators by which the warm air contained therein is separated andkept from contact with the cold air 5 and whereby the moisture containedin the warm air is condensed Without being brought in immediate contactwith the ice.

Figure lis a vertical longitudinal section of the refrigerator, taken onthe line m x of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of Fig. 1,taken on the line y y of Fig. l.

The ice-box is placed at or near the top of the refrigerator, and isprovided with a false bottom of corrugated zinc, z. The top of theice-box consists of a condenser, 0, made ot'zinc, or other suitablemetallic condenser, and may be attached to and lift with the top or lidofthe refrigerator, suffi cient space being left between the lid andcondenser for the passage of the warm air from the ue G to the upperside of the condenser, as shown in Fig. 2. Near the bottom of theice-box are openings D D for' the passage of the cold' air from theice-box into the preserving-chambers. The bottom of the ice-box isarranged in inclined planes, as

shown at c c in Fig. 1. The warm-air flue C is placed at the back of therefrigerator, behind the icebcx, and brings the warm air in directcontact with the upper side of the condenser, as shown in Fig. 2. Thewalls or sides of the refrigerator are constructed with vacuums I. Thewalls forming the vacuums are lined with paper, as shown at m in thedrawings, which acts as a non-conductor. The arrows show the course ofthe air as it circulates through the refrigerator. The course of thecold air is seen in Fig. l as it issues from the ice-box at the openingsD D, and descends to the bottom of the preserving-chamber, displacingthe air of a higher degree of temperature, which ascends to the bottomof the icebox of the inclined planes c c, which serve to separatethewarm and cold air, and passes thence to the warm -air flue, whichconducts it to the condenser, where it is condensed. Thus a continuouscirculation of air is kept up and the preservingY chamber kept dry. Kdenotes a small water-conductor, running from the ice-chamber A betweenthe chambers B B, and connecting with the tray H.

What .I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

rlhe ice-box A, having its bottom arranged in incline planes, andprovided with a condenser, o, and iiues D, in combination with thepreserving-chambers B and warm-air flue G, as shown and described, forthe purposes specified.

JAS. C. CLARK. Attest:

J. F. KIRBY, W. H. HANFoRD.

